与慢性呼吸道疾病相关的呼吸道感染，包括复杂性肺炎、哮喘、间质性肺疾病和慢性阻塞性肺疾病，在全球范围内具有严重的发病率和死亡率，是一个主要的公共卫生问题。肺部健康和肺部疾病的预防依赖于气道表面液体分泌、粘液纤毛清除和足够的免疫反应的机制，以消除吸入的病原体和环境中的颗粒物。抗菌蛋白和肽有助于维持人体肺部的抗菌环境，以消除病原体并防止它们引起肺部疾病。肺环境的主要抗菌分子包括人类α-和β-防御素和导管素，以及许多其他具有抗菌和抗生物膜活性的宿主防御分子，例如PLUNC（腭、肺和鼻上皮克隆）家族蛋白、弹性蛋白、集合素、乳铁蛋白、溶菌酶、粘蛋白、分泌性白细胞蛋白酶抑制剂、表面活性蛋白 SP-A 和 SP-D 以及 RNase。已经证明，抗菌分子表达水平的变化与调节炎症、加剧恶化、病理变化和慢性肺病严重程度的改变有关。抗菌分子还具有抗癌和致瘤作用。肺部抗菌蛋白和肽是治疗和预防多重耐药细菌感染和抗癌疗法的有前景的替代疗法。

Representing severe morbidity and mortality globally, respiratory infections associated with chronic respiratory diseases, including complicated pneumonia, asthma, interstitial lung disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, are a major public health concern. Lung health and the prevention of pulmonary disease rely on the mechanisms of airway surface fluid secretion, mucociliary clearance, and adequate immune response to eradicate inhaled pathogens and particulate matter from the environment. The antimicrobial proteins and peptides contribute to maintaining an antimicrobial milieu in human lungs to eliminate pathogens and prevent them from causing pulmonary diseases. The predominant antimicrobial molecules of the lung environment include human α- and β-defensins and cathelicidins, among numerous other host defense molecules with antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity such as PLUNC (palate, lung, and nasal epithelium clone) family proteins, elafin, collectins, lactoferrin, lysozymes, mucins, secretory leukocyte proteinase inhibitor, surfactant proteins SP-A, and SP-D, and RNases. It has been demonstrated that changes in antimicrobial molecule expression levels are associated with regulating inflammation, potentiating exacerbations, pathological changes, and modifications in chronic lung disease severity. Antimicrobial molecules also display roles in both anticancer and tumorigenic effects. Lung antimicrobial proteins and peptides are promising alternative therapeutics for treating and preventing multidrug-resistant bacterial infections and anticancer therapies.